The weird way the KC Chiefs could have 4 third-round picks in 2023

The Kansas City Chiefs are looking solid as they begin their preparations for the 2022 NFL Draft, which is coming into view at the end of next month. The Chiefs have the majority of their own picks (and all of them that really matter in the first two days) to go with a few additional picks thanks to savvy moves and compensatory offerings. General manager Brett Veach should be able to put together an impressive class and/or be quite aggressive with his total haul of picks available.

Then again, he could be even more loaded in 2023.

It’s funny the way that the NFL’s compensatory picks formula works. Every year, veteran players hit free agency after their contracts expire and they find their way to new teams (or fail to do so and call it a career). For those teams who lose the most talented players, the league decides to compensate them according to some unknown algorithm for their losses. The league then gives them a specific draft pick in the following year’s draft at the end of certain rounds.

It’s not an ideal situation from a free agent loss perspective, but it’s entirely possible for the Kansas City Chiefs to have four third-round picks in ’23.

Looking forward to the Chiefs, they already have an additional third-round pick in both the 2022 and 2023 NFL Draft because they lost executive Ryan Poles to the Chicago Bears, who is now the new general manager in the Windy City. The league awards consecutive third-round compensatory picks to any franchise that loses someone from their front office, which means the Chiefs will have two already next year.

But what’s interesting is that the Chiefs also stand to lose two defenders who could be among the biggest free-agent signings this offseason: safety Tyrann Mathieu and cornerback Charvarius Ward. Mathieu is coming off of a three-year stretch wherein he’s been an All-Pro or Pro Bowler (or both) in each season and has helped the Chiefs make the leap to annual Super Bowl contender. He was most recently named the team’s MVP for the second time in three years.

As for Ward, he’s a physical young corner with several years left in his prime and he’s ready to hit the market knowing the Chiefs had to use their franchise tag on left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. Ward could be a bigger signing than some expect given that he just put up his best season to date and that he’s still only 25 years old with serious postseason experience.

If the contracts are lucrative enough, it’s entirely possible for the Chiefs to earn an additional third-round pick as compensation for losing both of those guys. At the very least, the Chiefs would be looking at some picks next season of some sort, even if one is a third and another is a fourth. And of course, we have to yet mention the picks that come if any team ever signs up for Eric Bieniemy as a head coach.

Of course, some of this is lost if the Chiefs are busy themselves in free agency. If the Chiefs sign a big-money free agent, then someone else signing Ward doesn’t matter. But if the Chiefs shop for a released player, a la Zadarius Smith, then it doesn’t count and the Chiefs retain that pick.

The Chiefs seem like they’re entering the draft territory that we’ve seen the Patriots at for quite some time over their years as a dynasty, where a team was given several extra picks to replenish its losses because the market rewarded players for having played for them. While it’s hard to see veterans walk, it is helpful to know help is on the way.